Van der Vaart heaps praise on Frenkie de Jong

De Jong is now one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe after excellent performances for both Ajax and the Dutch national team.

Speaking to Voetbal International, Van der Vaart spoke highly of the 21-year-old, “It will not surprise you that I have a weakness for Frenkie.

“Because of the way in which he combines his technical qualities with insight, fun and guts, Frenkie seems to have eyes in his mind and on the sides of his head: before he gets into the ball, he has already scanned his whole environment, which is the hardest part of the game in the position he plays in. He is a master in that. “

Van der Vaart feels De Jong can still improve in areas, “With his qualities, he has to give the deadly passes more often and also score more goals, he has that in him.

“If he can add that aspect to his game, and the qualities he has already, then we are talking about the European top, but he should not force himself to meet all those expectations because then it can also just go wrong.”